Mason Jar Salads – WellPlated.com

Meet your new go-to lunch: meal prep Mason Jar Salads! They’re simple, modern, and flavorful; extraordinarily transportable, customizable, and nearly each little factor you want in a salad, conveniently layered proper right into a jar.

Why You’ll Love Meal Prep Mason Jar Salads

• The Glorious Meal Prep Lunch. They last inside the fridge for days, they’re simple to put collectively, and they also’re great satisfying. What further can you ask for?!
• Vibrant and Flavorful. These are salads you’ll stay up for consuming! All these vibrant components layered into the jars makes you want to seize a fork and dig in—plus, each layer brings completely completely different flavors and textures to the desk, offering you with a pleasing choice in every chunk.
• Customizable. I share some specific salad ideas for inspiration below, however moreover some mix-and-match ideas that may assist you provide you with your private.

Learn to Make Mason Jar Salads

While you would possibly merely throw each little factor proper right into a jar and hope for the simplest, mason jar salads require a little bit of little little bit of method.

Putting the dressing on the underside retains your lettuce and crunchy bits from getting soggy; plus, everytime you dump the jar proper right into a bowl, which suggests the dressing will pour over each little factor else.

Any dimension of jar will work, counting on how large (or small) you want your salad, nonetheless I exploit a wide-mouth quart-sized jar because of I like a BIG salad. Pint jars are good for smaller salads. No need to buy jars, each—jars from pasta sauce, jam, mayo, and so forth., will work.

You presumably can choose a few decisions from each class (properly, other than the dressing—stick with one there!), nonetheless it is best to positively layer each little factor inside the order outlined below for glorious meal prep salads.

Layer 1: Dressing

Add about 2 tablespoons of store-bought or selfmade dressing. Listed below are some dressings that I like using in my mason jar salads:

Layer 2: Sturdy Veggies and/or Legumes

These are greens which will stand as a lot as (or are improved by) soaking in dressing:

• English or Persian cucumbers
• Thinly sliced purple onions or shallots
• Sliced mushrooms
• Shredded or sliced carrots, radishes, or beets
• Thawed frozen peas or corn
• Broccoli or cauliflower florets
• Diced or sliced bell pepper
• Whole grape tomatoes
• Diced or sliced celery
• Shredded cabbage or Brussels sprouts
• Chickpeas, black beans, lentils, edamame, and completely different legumes

Layer 3: Proteins

You don’t need a protein must you’re serving your salad alongside a sandwich or leftovers, nonetheless I always like in order so as to add one factor from this class if my meal prep salad goes to be my complete lunch.

Layer 4: Grains

As soon as extra, not a ought to, nonetheless a good-to-have must you’re making it a meal!

Layer 5: The Accoutrements

Take into consideration this the layer of components worth getting captivated with. 

• Nuts and seeds
• Dried fruit
• Current fruit that gained’t brown (mango, plums, citrus, blueberries)
• Photo voltaic-dried tomatoes
• Cooked crumbled bacon (Baked Bacon, Air Fryer Bacon)
• Chilly leftover roasted greens
• Tortilla or wonton strips
• Croutons

Layer 6: Greens

Pack these into the remaining home on the excessive, nonetheless don’t pack them in too tightly, or they gained’t be crisp and modern.

• Romaine
• Spinach
• Kale
• Spring mix or completely different bagged salad greens
• Shredded Brussels sprouts or cabbage (must you need further raw style and crispiness; to mellow the flavour and texture, add them inside the second layer)

My Favorite Recipes for Mason Jar Salads

It’s possible you’ll make just about any salad proper right into a meal prep mason jar salad, nonetheless these are these I’ve on frequent repeat:

Asian Cabbage Salad. I alter up the distinctive recipe by together with whole wheat noodles and add a little bit of further oil to the dressing to skinny it out. Must you’ve ever had Ramen Salad (a Midwestern staple!), you’ll fully add a number of of those ramen noodles too for extra crunch.

Black Bean Corn Salad. To bulk up this recipe, I add romaine lettuce. The frozen roasted corn from Seller Joe’s could possibly be fan-freaking-TASTIC on this Mexican-inspired salad.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. That’s one different the place I add romaine; really, you’ll be able to do that with any bean salad recipe to take it from a facet dish to a full meal. Letting the chickpeas sit inside the dressing marinates them and makes them further delish!

Italian Chopped Salad. For a flavorful, filling salad, this Italian chopped salad recipe can’t be beat. It’s merely so good, with olives, chickpeas, mozzarella pearls, salami, and a zippy vinaigrette. Must you’re not a fan of the chunk of raw purple onion, place it immediately inside the dressing to mellow it.

Further Salads to Assemble in Mason Jars

Related Recipes

I’m a fiend for creative salad recipes! Ought to you possibly can’t get adequate each, add these to your guidelines.